Where You Should Place Your Bed In Your Home, According To Feng Shui

Decorating your home is a simultaneously rewarding and very stressful task because something as simple as deciding where to put your couch or bed can become needlessly overwhelming. Luckily, there is an entire millennia-old practice dedicated to teaching you to expertly arrange furniture in your space in the most physically and energetically functional way — feng shui.

Feng shui originated over 3,000 years ago in China and is deeply based on Taoist beliefs — specifically that all things are filled with chi, or energy, per Crane & Canopy. The practice of feng shui, then, aims to design your home in a manner that allows energy to flow in the most natural way and in accordance with all the elements. When your house is designed following these principles, not only should moving around and existing in the space feel more natural and harmonious, but tasks should also go smoother. For example, if you position your bed in your bedroom based on feng shui practices, sleeping should be easier and more sound.

There aren't many hard and fast rules when it comes to exact positioning in feng shui, but rather a series of dos and don'ts that you then apply to your home's specific layout. For example, when it comes to your bedroom, Crane & Canopy says you should always place your bed as far away from your door as you can. Something that simple is meant to help you feel safer when you sleep and ultimately sleep better.

Similarly, you shouldn't place your bedroom underneath windows since it isn't as structurally and energetically supportive as a whole wall. If you can't find another position for your bed, a solid wood headboard offers similar protection as a wall. With all of this in mind, the best place for your bed is central to the room, according to Dreams. More specifically, your bed is meant to be the space's focal point, so to keep it away from the door, place it perpendicularly or diagonally.

Placing your bed is the first and most important aspect of designing your bedroom under feng shui practices, but it isn't the only aspect. While having this furniture piece positioned optimally is important, it won't matter if the rest of the room has bad chi flow. For example, one of the most important principles in feng shui is balance, meaning your room should mirror itself in terms of furnishings. So if you have a piece of furniture, like a dresser, on one side of the room, the other side should have something too, like an armchair, per PODS. This also applies to nightstands.

Feng shui also emphasizes matching and duality, which can be used to determine things like complementary nightstand lamps, pillows, etc. As for color schemes, you should ideally only incorporate soft neutrals, like creams and beiges. If you want pops of color, go for softer shades of your favorites — lavender instead of violet, dandelion instead of bright yellow, and so on. Finally, avoid furniture with sharp silhouettes and corners and opt for round items when possible.